91视频

A series of plans were released Tuesday for the Williams & Russell Project, a community-driven initiative to revitalize a historic Black neighborhood in North Portland. The project is currently in the design phase.

The Williams & Russell Project centers on a 1.7-acre vacant block at North Russell Street and North Williams Avenue, which is owned by Legacy Health. The block was once the Albina community that housed the majority of Blacks in Oregon before being acquired for urban renewal in the early 1970s, Williams & Russell CDC 鈥� the project lead/owner 鈥� stated in a press release.

The Williams & Russell Project consists of three development projects: affordable apartments, affordable homeownership and a Black Business Hub.

The project team includes project lead/owner Williams & Russell CDC, developer Adre, developer/owner Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI), partner Portland Housing Center, architect LEVER Architecture, landscape architect Hood Design Studio and contractor Colas Construction. Structural and civil engineers for the apartments project have not yet been selected. For the homeownership project, engineers include civil engineer Vega Civil Engineering and structural engineer Valar Consulting Engineering. For the Black Business Hub, engineers include civil engineer Vega Civil Engineering and structural engineer Holmes. Other project partners include the city of Portland, Prosper Portland, the Portland Housing Bureau, and Legacy Health Services.

The approximately $115 million project aims to honor and enrich Portland’s Black community, create wealth and promote a healthier economy by providing affordable rental apartments and homeownership, as well as business opportunities for the community, especially those whose families were impacted by the displacement.

The apartments portion of the project will consist of an approximately six-story, 97,000-square-foot building with 85 affordable one- to three-bedroom units to be rented to individuals and families with a total household income less than 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 10-15 percent of the units will be designated for individuals and families with a total household income less than 30 percent AMI, the project team stated in an email. The project, led by PCRI, will include a community room, outdoor space, onsite parking, resident services and a culturally specific daycare. The project is expected to cost around $66.1 million.

The homeownership portion will consist of 20 homes with two or three bedrooms, five of which will include an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) and another five which will be fully ADA accessible. This 鈥渕issing middle housing鈥� will offer homeownership to low- and moderate-income families and individuals at the 60-120 percent AMI affordable level. The homes will have private outdoor spaces and balconies. The project, led by Adre in partnership with the Portland Housing Center, is estimated at $16.3 million.

The Black Business Hub project will be an approximately four-story, 30,000-square-foot landmark center for the creation and support of local Black businesses. The cross-laminated timber (CLT) development, led by Adre, will offer affordable office and retail space for Black-owned businesses and community partner organizations. In addition, a plaza and central garden will be designed by MacArthur Genius Fellow and landscape architect Walter J. Hood, and will incorporate environmental graphics and public art. The project is expected to cost $32 million.

Each building is pursuing Path to Net Zero, LEED or Earth Advantage certification, and solar energy generation. Adre was previously awarded a grant for the Williams & Russell Project from Energy Trust of Oregon, as part of the organization’s Net Zero Fellowship to explore the feasibility of creating a district-scale micro-district across the three development projects.

The projects have collectively secured $10.3M in pre-development funding from Oregon Housing & Community Services (OHCS), congressionally directed spending, Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF), and Meyer Memorial Trust’s Justice Oregon for Black Lives, and has over $23 million in pending funding from the Portland Housing Bureau and Prosper Portland.

The project is focused on creating equitable economic opportunities and is targeting over 30 percent of the project budget toward women and/or minority owned businesses. The campus planning phase also involved 50 percent participation from Minority, Women and Emerging Small Businesses (MWESB) certified firms, Williams & Russell CDC stated.

The Williams & Russell Project is on track to break ground on the first phase of construction in May 2025. The entire project is expected to be complete in 2027.